[CFBA Tour&Review] Refuge on Crescent Hill by

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of The Black Cloister; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana; and Together for Good.

Prior to launching Dobson Media Group in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of events, products, films, and TV specials. Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master’s degree in communication from Regent University. She has worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for fifteen years including two years as a publicist for The Family Channel.

Melanie and her husband, Jon, met in Colorado Springs in 1997 at Vanguard Church. Jon works in the field of computer animation. Since they’ve been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin, and Southern California. These days they are enjoying their new home in the Pacific Northwest.

Jon and Melanie have adopted their two daughters —Karly (6) and Kinzel (5). When Melanie isn’t writing or entertaining their girls, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, traveling, hiking, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK

THE HOMECOMING WASN’T WHAT SHE EXPECTED…

Jobless, homeless, and broke, Camden Bristow decides to visit the grandmother she hasn’t seen in years. But when Camden arrives in Etherton, Ohio, she discovers that her grandmother has passed away, leaving her the 150-year-old mansion on Crescent Hill. The site of her happiest summers as a child, the run-down mansion is now her only refuge.

When Camden finds evidence that she may not be the mansion’s only occupant, memories of Grandma Rosalie’s bedtime stories about secret passageways and runaway slaves fuel her imagination. What really happened at Crescent Hill? Who can she turn to for answers in this town full of strangers? And what motivates the handsome local Alex Yates to offer his help? As she works to uncover the past and present mysteries harbored in her home, Camdem uncovers deep family secrets within the mansion’s walls that could change her life─and the entire town─forever.

My Review:Wow! Loved this one! A story of uncertainty, mystery, and longing, Melanie Dobson skillfully creates a book that reaches out and pulls you in, grips your heart, and holds you til the end. Dobson’ story is full of everything from secrets, history, and mysterious goings-on. The beautiful characters she created in Camden and Alex, and even in Jenny, Jake, Stephanie and all the others, really brings this story to life. I felt everything that was happening in this amazing book! I really felt as if it was me who wanted that sense of belonging and that longing for God’s unending acceptance and love.

This isn’t the first book by Melanie Dobson I’ve read, nor will it be the last one! If all her stories are as wonderfully created and dramaticly mysterious as this 5 star read was, then I’ll be seeking refuge among the pages of them all. Refuge on Cresent Hill is a highly recommended book. Wonderful job, Melanie!